In the days of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, she organised peace work by enlisting a few outsiders and many local friends. Once she was asked not to travel to a particular destination as the militants had laid landmines, but she ignored the warnings. She confided to us that the militant informers told her later that since ‘Didi was so determined to travel, they had removed the landmines from the route!’ She believed that people were the ultimate arbiters in our society. They should come out and strive for peace.

Nirmala Deshpande was very disturbed after the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Along with some friends she formed Sanjhi Virasat, a forum of writers, artists, and the creative community to uphold India’s tradition of composite culture. She helped organised the Adhyatma Jagaran Manch and people’s integration council to mobilise for national integration and communal harmony.

She was a sitting member of Rajya Sabha and was associated with more than a dozen organisations at the national and international level. Lesser known is the fact that she was a writer and had written a novel in Hindi.

I met didi last in mid-April this year in a workshop convened at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi to brainstorm on the preparation of a manual on the Shanti Sena, her pet project. Shanti Sena was her first and last work. Her vision was derived from her understanding of Vinoba. She said, “Vinobaji’s mantra of Jai Jagat — victory of the world — is becoming more and more relevant. Indian sages have always regarded this tiny earth as one family. It is to make this a reality that Gandhians have to take the lead, to rise above caste, creed, religion, language, nation, race etc. and be a true citizen of the world, working for the world family, and a world government.”

... contd.